[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 4 (Monday, January 26, 2004)]
[Pages 94-101]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union

January 20, 2004

    Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, 
distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: America this evening is a 
nation called to great responsibilities, and we are rising to meet them.
    As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American service men 
and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By 
bringing hope to the oppressed and delivering justice to the violent, 
they are making America more secure.
    Each day, law enforcement personnel and intelligence officers are 
tracking terrorist threats; analysts are examining airline passenger 
lists; the men and women of our new Homeland Security Department are 
patrolling our coasts and borders. And their vigilance is protecting 
America.
    Americans are proving once again to be the hardest working people in 
the world. The American economy is growing stronger. The tax relief you 
passed is working.
    Tonight Members of Congress can take pride in the great works of 
compassion and reform that skeptics had thought impossible. You're 
raising the standards for our public schools, and you are giving our 
senior citizens prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
    We have faced serious challenges together, and now we face a choice: 
We can go forward

[[Page 95]]

with confidence and resolve, or we can turn back to the dangerous 
illusion that terrorists are not plotting and outlaw regimes are no 
threat to us. We can press on with economic growth and reforms in 
education and Medicare, or we can turn back to old policies and old 
divisions.
    We've not come all this way, through tragedy and trial and war, only 
to falter and leave our work unfinished. Americans are rising to the 
tasks of history, and they expect the same from us. In their efforts, 
their enterprise, and their character, the American people are showing 
that the state of our Union is confident and strong.
    Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American 
people. Twenty-eight months have passed since September the 11th, 2001--
over 2 years without an attack on American soil. And it is tempting to 
believe that the danger is behind us. That hope is understandable, 
comforting--and false. The killing has continued in Bali, Jakarta, 
Casablanca, Riyadh, Mombasa, Jerusalem, Istanbul, and Baghdad. The 
terrorists continue to plot against America and the civilized world. And 
by our will and courage, this danger will be defeated.
    Inside the United States, where the war began, we must continue to 
give our homeland security and law enforcement personnel every tool they 
need to defend us. And one of those essential tools is the PATRIOT Act, 
which allows Federal law enforcement to better share information to 
track terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets. For 
years, we have used similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug 
traffickers. If these methods are good for hunting criminals, they are 
even more important for hunting terrorists.
    Key provisions of the PATRIOT Act are set to expire next year. The 
terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule. Our law enforcement 
needs this vital legislation to protect our citizens. You need to renew 
the PATRIOT Act.
    America is on the offensive against the terrorists who started this 
war. Last March, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, a mastermind of September the 
11th, awoke to find himself in the custody of U.S. and Pakistani 
authorities. Last August the 11th brought the capture of the terrorist 
Hambali, who was a key player in the attack in Indonesia that killed 
over 200 people. We're tracking Al Qaida around the world, and nearly 
two-thirds of their known leaders have now been captured or killed. 
Thousands of very skilled and determined military personnel are on the 
manhunt, going after the remaining killers who hide in cities and caves, 
and one by one, we will bring these terrorists to justice.
    As part of the offensive against terror, we are also confronting the 
regimes that harbor and support terrorists and could supply them with 
nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. The United States and our 
allies are determined: We refuse to live in the shadow of this ultimate 
danger.
    The first to see our determination were the Taliban, who made 
Afghanistan the primary training base of Al Qaida killers. As of this 
month, that country has a new constitution guaranteeing free elections 
and full participation by women. Businesses are opening. Health care 
centers are being established, and the boys and girls of Afghanistan are 
back in school. With the help from the new Afghan army, our coalition is 
leading aggressive raids against the surviving members of the Taliban 
and Al Qaida. The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation 
that is free and proud and fighting terror, and America is honored to be 
their friend.
    Since we last met in this Chamber, combat forces of the United 
States, Great Britain, Australia, Poland, and other countries enforced 
the demands of the United Nations, ended the rule of Saddam Hussein, and 
the people of Iraq are free.
    Having broken the Ba'athist regime, we face a remnant of violent 
Saddam supporters. Men who ran away from our troops in battle are now 
dispersed and attack from the shadows. These killers, joined by foreign 
terrorists, are a serious, continuing danger. Yet we're making progress 
against them. The once all-powerful ruler of Iraq was found in a hole 
and now sits in a prison cell. Of the top 55 officials of the former 
regime, we have captured or killed 45. Our forces are on the offensive, 
leading over 1,600 patrols a day and conducting an average of 180 raids 
a week. We are dealing with these thugs in

[[Page 96]]

Iraq just as surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein's evil regime.
    The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right. And 
America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right. 
Last January, Iraq's only law was the whim of one brutal man. Today, our 
coalition is working with the Iraqi Governing Council to draft a basic 
law with a bill of rights. We're working with Iraqis and the United 
Nations to prepare for a transition to full Iraqi sovereignty by the end 
of June.
    As democracy takes hold in Iraq, the enemies of freedom will do all 
in their power to spread violence and fear. They are trying to shake the 
will of our country and our friends, but the United States of America 
will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins. The killers will fail, 
and the Iraqi people will live in freedom.
    Month by month, Iraqis are assuming more responsibility for their 
own security and their own future. And tonight we are honored to welcome 
one of Iraq's most respected leaders, the current President of the Iraqi 
Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi.
    Sir, America stands with you and the Iraqi people as you build a 
free and peaceful nation.
    Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing 
for the better. Last month, the leader of Libya voluntarily pledged to 
disclose and dismantle all of his regime's weapons of mass destruction 
programs, including a uranium enrichment project for nuclear weapons. 
Colonel Qadhafi correctly judged that his country would be better off 
and far more secure without weapons of mass murder.
    Nine months of intense negotiations involving the United States and 
Great Britain succeeded with Libya, while 12 years of diplomacy with 
Iraq did not. And one reason is clear: For diplomacy to be effective, 
words must be credible, and no one can now doubt the word of America.
    Different threats require different strategies. Along with nations 
in the region, we're insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear 
program. America and the international community are demanding that Iran 
meet its commitments and not develop nuclear weapons. America is 
committed to keeping the world's most dangerous weapons out of the hands 
of the most dangerous regimes.
    When I came to this rostrum on September the 20th, 2001, I brought 
the police shield of a fallen officer, my reminder of lives that ended 
and a task that does not end. I gave to you and to all Americans my 
complete commitment to securing our country and defeating our enemies. 
And this pledge, given by one, has been kept by many.
    You in the Congress have provided the resources for our defense and 
cast the difficult votes of war and peace. Our closest allies have been 
unwavering. America's intelligence personnel and diplomats have been 
skilled and tireless. And the men and women of the American military--
they have taken the hardest duty. We've seen their skill and their 
courage in armored charges and midnight raids and lonely hours on 
faithful watch. We have seen the joy when they return and felt the 
sorrow when one is lost. I've had the honor of meeting our service men 
and women at many posts, from the deck of a carrier in the Pacific to a 
mess hall in Baghdad.
    Many of our troops are listening tonight, and I want you and your 
families to know: America is proud of you. And my administration and 
this Congress will give you the resources you need to fight and win the 
war on terror.
    I know that some people question if America is really in a war at 
all. They view terrorism more as a crime, a problem to be solved mainly 
with law enforcement and indictments. After the World Trade Center was 
first attacked in 1993, some of the guilty were indicted and tried and 
convicted and sent to prison. But the matter was not settled. The 
terrorists were still training and plotting in other nations and drawing 
up more ambitious plans. After the chaos and carnage of September the 
11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers. The 
terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States, and 
war is what they got.
    Some in this Chamber and in our country did not support the 
liberation of Iraq. Objections to war often come from principled 
motives, but let us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam 
Hussein in power. We're seeking all the facts. Already,

[[Page 97]]

the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons-of-mass-destruction-related 
program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq 
concealed from the United Nations. Had we failed to act, the dictator's 
weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day. Had we 
failed to act, Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been 
revealed as empty threats, weakening the United Nations and encouraging 
defiance by dictators around the world. Iraq's torture chambers would 
still be filled with victims, terrified and innocent. The killing fields 
of Iraq, where hundreds of thousands of men and women and children 
vanished into the sands, would still be known only to the killers. For 
all who love freedom and peace, the world without Saddam Hussein's 
regime is a better and safer place.
    Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized. 
This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain, 
Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain, 
Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands, 
Norway, El Salvador, and the 17 other countries that have committed 
troops to Iraq. As we debate at home, we must never ignore the vital 
contributions of our international partners or dismiss their sacrifices.
    From the beginning, America has sought international support for our 
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and we have gained much support. 
There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of many 
nations and submitting to the objections of a few. America will never 
seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.
    We also hear doubts that democracy is a realistic goal for the 
greater Middle East, where freedom is rare. Yet it is mistaken and 
condescending to assume that whole cultures and great religions are 
incompatible with liberty and self-government. I believe that God has 
planted in every human heart the desire to live in freedom. And even 
when that desire is crushed by tyranny for decades, it will rise again.
    As long as the Middle East remains a place of tyranny and despair 
and anger, it will continue to produce men and movements that threaten 
the safety of America and our friends. So America is pursuing a forward 
strategy of freedom in the greater Middle East. We will challenge the 
enemies of reform, confront the allies of terror, and expect a higher 
standard from our friend. To cut through the barriers of hateful 
propaganda, the Voice of America and other broadcast services are 
expanding their programming in Arabic and Persian, and soon a new 
television service will begin providing reliable news and information 
across the region. I will send you a proposal to double the budget of 
the National Endowment for Democracy and to focus its new work on the 
development of free elections and free markets, free press, and free 
labor unions in the Middle East. And above all, we will finish the 
historic work of democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq so those nations can 
light the way for others and help transform a troubled part of the 
world.
    America is a nation with a mission, and that mission comes from our 
most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of 
empire. Our aim is a democratic peace, a peace founded upon the dignity 
and rights of every man and woman. America acts in this cause with 
friends and allies at our side, yet we understand our special calling: 
This great Republic will lead the cause of freedom.
    In the last 3 years, adversity has also revealed the fundamental 
strengths of the American economy. We have come through recession and 
terrorist attack and corporate scandals and the uncertainties of war. 
And because you acted to stimulate our economy with tax relief, this 
economy is strong and growing stronger.
    You have doubled the child tax credit from 500 to $1,000, reduced 
the marriage penalty, begun to phase out the death tax, reduced taxes on 
capital gains and stock dividends, cut taxes on small businesses, and 
you have lowered taxes for every American who pays income taxes.
    Americans took those dollars and put them to work, driving this 
economy forward. The pace of economic growth in the third quarter of 
2003 was the fastest in nearly 20 years; new home construction, the 
highest in almost 20 years; homeownership rates, the highest ever. 
Manufacturing activity is increasing. Inflation is low. Interest rates 
are low. Exports

[[Page 98]]

are growing. Productivity is high, and jobs are on the rise. These 
numbers confirm that the American people are using their money far 
better than Government would have, and you were right to return it.
    America's growing economy is also a changing economy. As technology 
transforms the way almost every job is done, America becomes more 
productive, and workers need new skills. Much of our job growth will be 
found in high-skilled fields like health care and biotechnology. So we 
must respond by helping more Americans gain the skills to find good jobs 
in our new economy.
    All skills begin with the basics of reading and math, which are 
supposed to be learned in the early grades of our schools. Yet for too 
long, for too many children, those skills were never mastered. By 
passing the No Child Left Behind Act, you have made the expectation of 
literacy the law of our country. We're providing more funding for our 
schools, a 36-percent increase since 2001. We're requiring higher 
standards. We are regularly testing every child on the fundamentals. We 
are reporting results to parents and making sure they have better 
options when schools are not performing. We are making progress toward 
excellence for every child in America.
    But the status quo always has defenders. Some want to undermine the 
No Child Left Behind Act by weakening standards and accountability. Yet 
the results we require are really a matter of common sense: We expect 
third graders to read and do math at the third grade level, and that's 
not asking too much. Testing is the only way to identify and help 
students who are falling behind. This Nation will not go back to the 
days of simply shuffling children along from grade to grade without them 
learning the basics. I refuse to give up on any child, and the No Child 
Left Behind Act is opening the door of opportunity to all of America's 
children.
    At the same time, we must ensure that older students and adults can 
gain the skills they need to find work now. Many of the fastest growing 
occupations require strong math and science preparation and training 
beyond the high school level. So tonight, I propose a series of measures 
called Jobs for the 21st Century. This program will provide extra help 
to middle and high school students who fall behind in reading and math, 
expand advanced placement programs in low-income schools, invite math 
and science professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in 
our high schools. I propose larger Pell grants for students who prepare 
for college with demanding courses in high school. I propose increasing 
our support for America's fine community colleges, so they can--I do so, 
so they can train workers for industries that are creating the most new 
jobs. By all these actions, we'll help more and more Americans to join 
in the growing prosperity of our country. Job training is important, and 
so is job creation. We must continue to pursue an aggressive, progrowth 
economic agenda.
    Congress has some unfinished business on the issue of taxes. The tax 
reductions you passed are set to expire. Unless you act, the unfair tax 
on marriage will go back up. Unless you act, millions of families will 
be charged $300 more in Federal taxes for every child. Unless you act, 
small businesses will pay higher taxes. Unless you act, the death tax 
will eventually come back to life. Unless you act, Americans face a tax 
increase. What Congress has given, the Congress should not take away. 
For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent.
    Our agenda for jobs and growth must help small-business owners and 
employees with relief from needless Federal regulation and protect them 
from junk and frivolous lawsuits.
    Consumers and businesses need reliable supplies of energy to make 
our economy run, so I urge you to pass legislation to modernize our 
electricity system, promote conservation, and make America less 
dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    My administration is promoting free and fair trade to open up new 
markets for America's entrepreneurs and manufacturers and farmers, to 
create jobs for American workers. Younger workers should have the 
opportunity to build a nest egg by saving part of their Social Security 
taxes in a personal retirement account. We should make the Social 
Security system a source of ownership for the American people. And we 
should limit the burden of Government on this economy by acting as good 
stewards of taxpayers' dollars.

[[Page 99]]

    In 2 weeks, I will send you a budget that funds the war, protects 
the homeland, and meets important domestic needs while limiting the 
growth in discretionary spending to less than 4 percent. This will 
require that Congress focus on priorities, cut wasteful spending, and be 
wise with the people's money. By doing so, we can cut the deficit in 
half over the next 5 years.
    Tonight I also ask you to reform our immigration laws so they 
reflect our values and benefit our economy. I propose a new temporary-
worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers 
when no Americans can be found to fill the job. This reform will be good 
for our economy because employers will find needed workers in an honest 
and orderly system. A temporary-worker program will help protect our 
homeland, allowing Border Patrol and law enforcement to focus on true 
threats to our national security.
    I oppose amnesty, because it would encourage further illegal 
immigration and unfairly reward those who break our laws. My temporary-
worker program will preserve the citizenship path for those who respect 
the law while bringing millions of hard-working men and women out from 
the shadows of American life.
    Our Nation's health care system, like our economy, is also in a time 
of change. Amazing medical technologies are improving and saving lives. 
This dramatic progress has brought its own challenge, in the rising 
costs of medical care and health insurance. Members of Congress, we must 
work together to help control those costs and extend the benefits of 
modern medicine throughout our country.
    Meeting these goals requires bipartisan effort, and 2 months ago, 
you showed the way. By strengthening Medicare and adding a prescription 
drug benefit, you kept a basic commitment to our seniors. You are giving 
them the modern medicine they deserve.
    Starting this year, under the law you passed, seniors can choose to 
receive a drug discount card, saving them 10 to 25 percent off the 
retail price of most prescription drugs, and millions of low-income 
seniors can get an additional $600 to buy medicine. Beginning next year, 
seniors will have new coverage for preventive screenings against 
diabetes and heart disease, and seniors just entering Medicare can 
receive wellness exams.
    In January of 2006, seniors can get prescription drug coverage under 
Medicare. For a monthly premium of about $35, most seniors who do not 
have that coverage today can expect to see their drug bills cut roughly 
in half. Under this reform, senior citizens will be able to keep their 
Medicare just as it is, or they can choose a Medicare plan that fits 
them best, just as you, as Members of Congress, can choose an insurance 
plan that meets your needs. And starting this year, millions of 
Americans will be able to save money tax-free for their medical expenses 
in a health savings account.
    I signed this measure proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices 
of our seniors or to take away their prescription drug coverage under 
Medicare will meet my veto.
    On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that 
Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best 
fits their individual needs. To make insurance more affordable, Congress 
must act to address rapidly rising health care costs. Small businesses 
should be able to band together and negotiate for lower insurance rates, 
so they can cover more workers with health insurance. I urge you to pass 
association health plans. I ask you to give lower income Americans a 
refundable tax credit that would allow millions to buy their own basic 
health insurance.
    By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical 
mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care. To protect the doctor-patient 
relationship and keep good doctors doing good work, we must eliminate 
wasteful and frivolous medical lawsuits. And tonight I propose that 
individuals who buy catastrophic health care coverage as part of our new 
health savings accounts be allowed to deduct 100 percent of the premiums 
from their taxes.
    A Government-run health care system is the wrong prescription. By 
keeping costs under control, expanding access, and helping more 
Americans afford coverage, we will preserve the system of private 
medicine that makes America's health care the best in the world.

[[Page 100]]

    We are living in a time of great change in our world, in our 
economy, in science and medicine. Yet some things endure: courage and 
compassion, reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith 
and race. The values we try to live by never change, and they are 
instilled in us by fundamental institutions such as families and schools 
and religious congregations. These institutions, these unseen pillars of 
civilization, must remain strong in America, and we will defend them. We 
must stand with our families to help them raise healthy, responsible 
children. When it comes to helping children make right choices, there is 
work for all of us to do.
    One of the worst decisions our children can make is to gamble their 
lives and futures on drugs. Our Government is helping parents confront 
this problem with aggressive education, treatment, and law enforcement. 
Drug use in high school has declined by 11 percent over the last 2 
years. Four hundred thousand fewer young people are using illegal drugs 
than in the year 2001. In my budget, I propose new funding to continue 
our aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce demand for illegal 
drugs. Drug testing in our schools has proven to be an effective part of 
this effort. So tonight I propose an additional 23 million for schools 
that want to use drug testing as a tool to save children's lives. The 
aim here is not to punish children but to send them this message: We 
love you, and we do not want to lose you.
    To help children make right choices, they need good examples. 
Athletics play such an important role in our society, but unfortunately, 
some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use 
of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and 
other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message, that there 
are shortcuts to accomplishment and that performance is more important 
than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, 
coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get 
tough, and to get rid of steroids now.
    To encourage right choices, we must be willing to confront the 
dangers young people face, even when they're difficult to talk about. 
Each year, about 3 million teenagers contract sexually transmitted 
diseases that can harm them or kill them or prevent them from ever 
becoming parents. In my budget, I propose a grassroots campaign to help 
inform families about these medical risks. We will double Federal 
funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of life: 
Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually 
transmitted diseases.
    Decisions children now make can affect their health and character 
for the rest of their lives. All of us, parents and schools and 
government, must work together to counter the negative influence of the 
culture and to send the right messages to our children.
    A strong America must also value the institution of marriage. I 
believe we should respect individuals as we take a principled stand for 
one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization. 
Congress has already taken a stand on this issue by passing the Defense 
of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton. That statute 
protects marriage under Federal law as a union of a man and a woman and 
declares that one State may not redefine marriage for other States.
    Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court 
order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected 
representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people's 
voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will 
upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the 
constitutional process. Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.
    The outcome of this debate is important, and so is the way we 
conduct it. The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches 
that each individual has dignity and value in God's sight.
    It's also important to strengthen our communities by unleashing the 
compassion of America's religious institutions. Religious charities of 
every creed are doing some of the most vital work in our country: 
mentoring children, feeding the hungry, taking the hand of the lonely. 
Yet Government has often denied social service grants and contracts to 
these groups, just because they have a cross or a Star of David or a 
crescent on the wall.

[[Page 101]]

By Executive order, I have opened billions of dollars in grant money to 
competition that includes faith-based charities. Tonight I ask you to 
codify this into law, so people of faith can know that the law will 
never discriminate against them again.
    In the past, we've worked together to bring mentors to children of 
prisoners and provide treatment for the addicted and help for the 
homeless. Tonight I ask you to consider another group of Americans in 
need of help. This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from 
prison back into society. We know from long experience that if they 
can't find work or a home or help, they are much more likely to commit 
crime and return to prison. So tonight I propose a 4-year, $300 million 
prisoner reentry initiative to expand job training and placement 
services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly released 
prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups. America is 
the land of second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the 
path ahead should lead to a better life.
    For all Americans, the last 3 years have brought tests we did not 
ask for and achievements shared by all. By our actions, we have shown 
what kind of nation we are. In grief, we have found the grace to go on. 
In challenge, we rediscovered the courage and daring of a free people. 
In victory, we have shown the noble aims and good heart of America. And 
having come this far, we sense that we live in a time set apart.
    I've been witness to the character of the people of America, who 
have shown calm in times of danger, compassion for one another, and 
toughness for the long haul. All of us have been partners in a great 
enterprise. And even some of the youngest understand that we are living 
in historic times. Last month a girl in Lincoln, Rhode Island, sent me a 
letter. It began, ``Dear George W. Bush. If there's anything you know I, 
Ashley Pearson, age 10, can do to help anyone, please send me a letter 
and tell me what I can do to save our country.'' She added this P.S.: 
``If you can send a letter to the troops, please put, `Ashley Pearson 
believes in you.' ''
    Tonight, Ashley, your message to our troops has just been conveyed. 
And yes, you have some duties yourself: Study hard in school; listen to 
your mom or dad; help someone in need; and when you and your friends see 
a man or woman in uniform, say, ``Thank you.'' And Ashley, while you do 
your part, all of us here in this great Chamber will do our best to keep 
you and the rest of America safe and free.
    My fellow citizens, we now move forward with confidence and faith. 
Our Nation is strong and steadfast. The cause we serve is right, because 
it is the cause of all mankind. The momentum of freedom in our world is 
unmistakable, and it is not carried forward by our power alone. We can 
trust in that greater power who guides the unfolding of the years. And 
in all that is to come, we can know that His purposes are just and true.
    May God continue to bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 9:12 p.m. in the House Chamber of the 
Capitol. In his remarks, he referred to Khalid Sheik Mohammed, senior Al 
Qaida leader responsible for planning the September 11 attack, who was 
captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003; Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (known 
as Hambali), Al Qaida's chief operational planner in Southeast Asia; 
former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-
Qadhafi, leader of Libya. The Office of the Press Secretary also 
released a Spanish language transcript of this address.